TGS BOARDERS' Te - Toowoomba Grammar School

A note from Henry White, Head of House

Dear Corfe families of 2023,

Thank you, once again, for tuning in to another edition of the Corfe Courier - Corfe’s fortnightly contribution to the larger TGS Boarders’ Telegraph publication.

We’re back! After two weeks, our boys have returned to Corfe and have been busy settling themselves back into a regular schedule and routine. It was so pleasing to see a sense of camaraderie in the House as our boys immediately gravitated back to their mates with big smiles, firm handshakes and even a few warm hugs! Many returned with exciting stories about bike rides, camping trips, the biggest fish they’ve ever caught, and the occasional sleep-in. Thankfully, the bunny found most of them and from many accounts, chocolate eggs were in no short supply over the break.

While settling back into a consistent pattern of timings and expectations around tidiness and discipline has been a challenge for some, I was impressed by how quickly the boys fell into this pattern. Term 1 has, no doubt, served as a significant period for our boys and the discipline and standards set in Corfe were evidently embedded and quickly resurfaced upon their return.

We look forward to pushing on in Term 2 with the same energy and attitude with which we embarked upon at the start of this year. There is a good deal in store for the term ahead – as per my recent communications updating families on structural changes and initiatives. For the moment, rest assured that your boys have settled and are in good hands; our team is energised, rejuvenated and back into the swing of it.

Please read on and enjoy the first Corfe Courier for Term 2 and a few photos of our boys, back in their element, keeping busy, staying active, and of course, chilling out.

ANZAC Day - well done Cadet Corfies!

As a boarding Head of House and ex-serviceman and Naval Officer, I am grateful and proud of the respect and integrity displayed by the vast majority of our boys during the ANZAC Day dawn service and preceding School service in Week 2. Corfe, on a whole, rose to the occasion; we were up early without complaint, we marched on Toowoomba with a sense of pride in our uniform, and we showed respect fitting for the occasion.

A special mention goes out to our five Corfe Cadets, Mr Campbell Head, Mr Jack Campbell, Mr Charles Rowen, Mr Angus McMillan, and Mr Sam Colville, who did Corfe proud demonstrating great discipline when on parade. Corfe is in secure hands with these young men on the scene!

May Day - A few good men!

While our ranks were depleted, the 11 lads who stayed in Corfe over the May Day long weekend enjoyed their peace and quiet immensely. It was brilliant to see the boys relish in their opportunity to sleep in for two days in a row, and enjoy some downtime with different boys, thus making powerful connections with others they might not have gravitated toward had their usual friends and dormmates stayed in. Together, we enjoyed two movie nights, a trip to Grandy, plenty of footy viewing including “a Canberra Raiders masterclass over an inferior Dolphins side” (Riley Taylor, 29/4/23), perhaps more cake and pizza than one might recommend, and a few activities with other Senior Houses. All in all, a very solid weekend indeed. I hope that all boys who ventured home with their family, or to a friend’s home for the long weekend, enjoyed similar rest and recreation.

Pro Summa Diligentia - Hard work pays off!

In Corfe, we strive to impress upon our boys that academia and effort go hand in hand, and that an effective boarding house is one that extends from the classroom, rather than detaches from it. In Week 2, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Pro Summa Diligentia awards luncheon for Term 1 and I am proud to congratulate four Corfe recipients on this prestigious award. Well done to James Baker, Luke Dyer, Rupert Lawrie, and Luke Shepherd for their sustained efforts and achievements in the classroom in Term 1. Only a handful of Year 7 boys received this award, and I am proud and delighted to acknowledge that four of these young men were our boarders. Our team look forward to pushing this mantra for hard work and diligence and we hope to see more of our boys receive this award in the term ahead.

Show Cattle Team

Corfe House is, yet again, very proud of our Show Cattle Team contingent who ventured out to the Goondiwindi Show on 28 April for another round of show judging. From all reports, our boys did the School proud and enjoyed the experience – even the delayed return was a novelty and the two-hour extension on regular Friday evening bed prep was welcomed.

A huge congratulations goes out to Angus Paffey and Dougal Skene for their awards in the Junior Studd Judging competition. Angus put on another blue-ribbon performance taking home first place and Dougal wasn’t far behind claiming the green ribbon for third place.

As I write this piece, the boys are at it again, this time at the Taroom Show. No doubt they’re putting their skills and knowledge to the test, scrutinising livestock, impressing judges, and doing all of us proud!

Weekly Shout-out - Weeks 1 and 2

Thanks Charlie!

While we have returned to Corfe amidst some disruptions – as we roll into Week 3, we’ve had two public holidays and are yet to see out a full week of term – there has (thankfully) been one constant figure here in the House who has helped to steady the ship and ensure smooth sailing for some our younger boys. As such, I am delighted to announce that the Corfe weekly shout-out for these modified opening weeks of Term 2 goes to Charlie Beckwith. Having been here for a full year already, entering Corfe at the start of Year 6, Charlie is an old hand in Corfe; he is familiar with our routines and is always a calm presence that staff can rely on. However, perhaps most importantly, Charlie is an exceedingly kind and considerate individual who has worked around the clock to help guide and support some of our newest Year 6 boys who have only arrived in Corfe. Thank you, Charlie, for all that you do here in Corfe!

Welcome Ms Fletcher!

Now that the dust has settled on Term 2 and our lads are well and truly back in the swing of things, I am delighted to report that Ms Fletcher, our new House Mother and the newest addition to Corfe’s team has also settled and is thriving in her role. The boys have taken to her warmth and quick wit and are showing her due respect as she acclimatises to the House.

A few words from Ms Fletcher:

“The role in Corfe is enormously rewarding. The boys have been exceedingly kind and welcoming for which I am grateful. I’ve noted there is a wonderful balance between academia and co-curricular which, to my kind, is essential in developing a well versed and well-rounded person. The ethos is to nurture and encourage young men, all the while, promoting independent thinking. Importantly, we – the boarding staff at TGS – aim to provide a ‘home away from home’. I thank the boys and staff for the warm welcome and look forward to this exciting next stage.”

Thank you, Ms Fletcher!

It has been another great start to the this term with boys slipping quickly back into positive routines despite numerous four-day weeks due to their return to boarding, ANZAC Day and Labour Day. I always think that so early in term there won't be much to write about.... until I start writing and realise how active most of the boys are!

ANZAC Day ceremonies

ANZAC Day was especially significant in Groom House this year with two of our own (Charlie Chen and Will Watson) representing the School Cadets. The School service on the Monday was a wonderful event, if a little windy, especially as many boys' grandparents made the effort to join us. I hope those who attended all had a great morning. The ANZAC Day ceremony then showed our boys in a similarly positive light. With a little more of a spring in their steps, due to no early fire alarm (wake up alarm), than in previous years and certainly finer weather conditions than last year, the boys resplendent in their blazers, made an impressive statement at the Dawn Service. Charlie and Will then also returned later in the morning with the Cadets to the later service.

Co-curricular activities

It has been great to see how empty the boarding house has been on Saturday afternoons due to so many boys being involved in sporting activities. Most boys are out representing TGS at GPS tennis or football and Term 3 pre-season rugby and basketball coaching is already in full swing. There are also many representing DD (Joe Mayers at Volleyball; Tom McDonald, Lorenzo Whitnall, Ben McDonald and Lawson Morris at Rugby League), a few boys playing evening club basketball, Ed Beattie playing club hockey, Alex Reddacliff finishing the swimming season and a significant number of boys out at club rugby training and fixtures. Although all of the boys' achievements are noteworthy and should be celebrated, a special mention must go to Alex Reddacliff; over the past few weeks Alex competed in the Darling Downs Swimming Championships, racing in ten races and coming away with an incredible 9 golds and 1 silver. At the State Championships he won 1 silver and 3 bronze, making the Queensland Schoolboys team, and in the National Swimming Championships raced in six events, achieving a time of under 2 minutes (1:59.83) in the 200m freestyle, which places him 30th in the country.

Whilst I am on the matter of club rugby, we are more than happy to allow boys to participate and help with logistics where necessary, but could we all be aware that if boys return beyond 10:30pm then House staff (usually Jon Hall) have to stay behind in order to let these boys back into the House. There have been recent occurrences of boys returning late, having obviously not come directly back to the House as they have visited a fast food outlet on their way. Not only is it unhealthy to eat such food so late at night, but it is not being very considerate to Jon, who already cares so wonderfully for these boys. Late meals are always provided if needed, and the late meal systems are also in the process of being improved so that there will be healthy frozen meals available for boys to microwave on their return.

Travelling tales

I must make a special thank you in this edition of the Groom Gazette to Rob and Jo Lethbridge for showing me around their property whilst I was recently on a TGS on Tour trip to the Taroom Show. It is always wonderful to see where the boys are from and for an ignorant Brit to be educated a little more about cattle and beef! I hope I can visit more of you in the near future.

Man of the Week

It has been a tough start to the term for Man of the Week nominations, as so many of the boys have served the Groom community well - nevertherless, we must have a weekly winner!

Week 1: Charlie Chen and Will Watson for their efforts in the ANZAC Day services with the Cadets (this was actually proposed by Cam Gourley, as staff had forgotten about MotW in Week 1. Thanks to Cam, highlighting the inclusive nature of the Groom community and boys' recognition of others' actions and efforts).

Week 2: PJ Ostwald for his general leadership in the House throughout the year but also for the mature manner in which he assisted with management of the Corfe boys at the Dawn Service.

Week 3: Marcus Szeto It is sometimes the seemingly small actions that make a huge difference to others. This week's MotW is awarded for a single incident in which Marcus was seen consoling and supporting a homesick and tearful Corfe boy as he passed on the way back to House from basketball training one evening. Well done, Marcus.

Groom Facebook group

Thank you must go to Susan Cameron for continuing to help with the management of the Groom community. Susan has managed to move forward the concept of a private Groom parents Facebook group which will allow you all to make contact with each other. This will not be an official line of communication from me or the School, but will hopefully allow you to ask questions however big or small about meeting times, events, pick ups, lifts to and from home or sports events for example. This should be up and running very shortly and we will send you details when it is.

Parents: thank you all from all the Groom staff for your continued assistance in the support of your boys, and the efficient way in which you all communicate and regularly manage boy-admin! As always, we look forward to seeing you all in and around the boarding house.

Chris Stearn

Head of House

Welcome to Term 2

Term 2 started as the temperatures in Toowoomba dropped. I hope that you all enjoyed a good break with your fellas and by the sounds of their tales upon their return, many were put to work. Term 1 ended with a range of camps and work experience opportunities for the boys and there were some good stories from time spent with boarder and dayboy mates. We are already through two weeks of football and tennis matches and it feels like the football goals must have grown since I played – so many goals have been going in – at both ends!

Academic Awards Recipients Morning Tea

The core business of any school is academic outcomes, and we celebrated the achievements of those boys who received Pro Summa Diligentia awards (for work ethic) with a Headmaster’s Morning Tea last week. The Stephens House recipients this term were Clancy Wright (Y12), Sam McLennan and Stuart Officer (Y11), Xavier de Ceuster (Y9) and Riley Gray (Y8). To all boys, congratulations and it is fair to say that as we celebrate academic achievements, achieved by taking advantage of academic opportunity and complemented by a spirited dose of hard work, we encourage all of the Stephens boarding community to take inspiration and work a little bit harder to see what can be achieved.

One of the themes of TGS boarding this year is to further grow academic outcomes and opportunities for the boarders. Last term saw the inaugural Boarders' Central Prep sessions which ran on two nights per week in School classrooms. The aim, simply, is to raise the academic profile of the School to our boarding community, afford the boys more study opportunities to take advantage of and, lastly, to improve performance.

Stephens House Formal Dinner

The last couple of COVID-confused years have seen the boarders' calendar somewhat modified; however, this week has seen the return of a popular event - the formal dinner. Once again, like in days of yore (or so I am told) we have returned to a TGS favourite, Gip's Restaurant. Earlier in Term 1 we hosted an outstanding Mother and Son Dinner for the Year 12 Stephens House – boarders and dayboys – so it seemed logical to return.

The idea of the formal dinner is to encourage and educate the boys to participate in a wonderful event and develop an appropriate respect for, and understanding of, a sense of occasion. To this end, the evening began with a soiree style drinks reception before being seated at multi-year group tables, each adorned with an ‘old person'. A huge thank you to Mr Tranberg, Mr Wilson, Mr Libeiron, Mr Sullivan and Mr Treloar for attending in this ‘old person’ capacity and guaranteeing sparkling conversation and bonhomie on each table. Through each meal, the boys were instructed upon the importance of using their cutlery to eat food that was presented on plates rather than wrapped or presented in cardboard boxes. Additionally, the drinks were not consumed through straws.

A pre-dining grace was given and a post-dinner speaker addressed the boys. The President of the TGS Old Boys' Association, Mr Mark Creedon, spoke to the boys about a variety of issues – from his life in education and teaching, what it means to be a Grammarian and the continuing importance of presentation, etiquette and self-care in life. A huge thank you to Mark who stepped in late following the COVID-induced withdrawal of 2013 TGS graduate, Clancy Sinnamon.

There were many highlights of the evening; however, the willingness of the boys to get involved in the event and offer reflections of their time in Stephens was what made the evening. It was a night of immense pride and the readiness of many boys to speak, lead and participate in the spirit of the evening was particularly pleasing.

Nappy News

You will likely be aware that the boys in Stephens House have been fortunate enough to be working with new Boarding Supervisor staff this year. The new roster and program has seen the appointment of new staff who, primarily, fill weekend hours and activities. Mr Aaron Libeiron and Ms Sian Hilliard have proved to be popular and personable recruits around the House and I am confident that the boys enjoy seeing the faces of some non-teaching staff every once in a while.

Over the course of the recent holiday, Ms Hilliard became Mrs Hogan as she married her partner, Johnny. As if a wedding was not enough, Sian has also announced that she is pregnant and she is looking forward to the birth of her first child towards the end of the year. It will be lovely, next year, when Sian returns to see us, during her maternity leave, with the new addition to her family. More on this will follow but I am delighted that the boys have been so forthcoming with their warm sentiments and congratulations for Sian. In the coming weeks we will be deciding upon a gift for Mr and Mrs Hogan, who have our best wishes and warmest regards. Sian has sent through some wedding photos that I am passing on.

Dear Boys and Families,

Welcome back for another term in Taylor House. As I write this and reflect on my opening words, we are well into the term, though it certainly does not feel it with the number of public holidays we have had. But alas… here we are at the beginning of Week 3.

While the term has had a disjointed start, we have had lots to celebrate in Taylor House. The recipients of the Pro Diligentia Award; Steven Osborne, Charles Rogers, Mitchell Neilsen, Fletcher Warland, William McKay and Harry Rogers. In addition, Alistair McKay has received the Pro Suma Diligentia Award. A wonderful effort from these boys who continue to strive for excellence in their academic pursuits.

Congratulations goes to William McDowall on making the U13 Darling Downs Rugby Union representative team over the weekend. William has been working hard to develop his game sense and individual skills and is to be commended for his achievement.

Our wonderful Mathematics department has posted their lunch time support schedule to assist boys requiring that little extra help when dealing with the complexity of the “language of math”. Boys are strongly encouraged to seek support, not only when they are struggling with a concept, but to also use these sessions to confirm their understanding and develop their confidence. Additionally, “Tutor Tuesday” is a new initiative run by our Year 12s. Students of all ages can book time to get assistance with any subject area. Please encourage your son to access this wonderful service.

Our sporting teams are in full swing with a number of results and individual performances being witnessed this term. Notable mention goes to our 1^st XI football team which pulled off a miraculous draw against a very strong Gregory Terrace in what can only be described as the most unusual of circumstances. With Gregory Terrace having scored what they thought was a winning goal and all their players except the goalkeeper off the field celebrating with their fans, our TGS boys had the presence of mind to quickly return to halfway and kick-off. With only the goalie to beat, our boys glided the ball past the keeper to seal a well-deserved and very unusual draw! And last weekend our 11A football team had a sensational win over Brisbane State High 6-1. What more can be said, it was a masterclass from our boys.

I wish you all a fulfilling and successful term ahead.

Regards,

Mr Eugene Massi
Head of House

Academic Enrichment - Growing the Man with Direction

In Taylor House, we are delighted to report that the start of Term 2 has been a positive and productive one for the boys at Toowoomba Grammar School. We have seen our boys return to the House with renewed energy and enthusiasm. As Assistant Head of House in boarding, I would like to take this opportunity to encourage all boys to continue to focus on their academic goals and strive for excellence in their studies. Academic interviews were conducted in House this week with all Years 8 and 9 boys to continue with tracking of academic growth and development.

In Taylor House we are encouraging our boys with these five simple steps for success. Please have a conversation with your son regarding these steps:

Set goals: The first step towards achieving academic success is to set clear and specific goals. Encourage your son to set academic goals that are achievable and measurable. Having clear goals will help them stay focused and motivated.
Minimise distractions: It's important for your son to have a dedicated study space that is free from distractions. This will help him to stay focused and concentrate on his work.
Develop a routine: A routine is crucial for staying focused in academic pursuits. By following a routine, boys can establish good habits and ensure that they are making progress towards their goals.
Stay organised: Encourage your son to keep his notes and study materials organised. This will make it easier for him to find what he needs and will also help him to stay on top of his workload.
Ask for help: Encourage your son to reach out to his teachers or tutors if he needs help with any of his work. Asking for help is often the key to success.

Academic vigour is vital for the success of our boys. It helps to develop critical thinking skills, expand their knowledge base, and prepare them for their future careers. In Taylor House, we believe that academic success is about fostering a love of learning that will stay with our boys for life. Thank you for your ongoing support with your sons. We look forward to seeing them continue to excel in their academic pursuits.

Regards

Ms Tiffany Holzheimer
Assistant Head of House

Ph: 07 4687 2500
International: +617 4687 2500
24 Margaret Street, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350 Australia

TGS BOARDERS' TELEGRAPH - Friday, 5 May 2023

TGS BOARDERS' TELEGRAPH - Friday, 5 May 2023

In This Newsletter

Boarding News

From the Director of Boarding

BPSG Contacts

What's Cooking...

Boarding Back Then

Term 2 Uniform Shop Hours

Parent Communication Channels

Raising Good Men Seminar - Susan Long

TGS on Tour - Term 2

P&F Ladies' Evening - you're invited

Junior School Dads' Night

Football Supporters' Spring Carnival Race Day

Headmaster's Invitational Morning

Footloose - Get your tickets now

Grammar Boy for a Day

Open Day - Explore TGS with us

The Australian Farmer

Calling on Old Boys to become involved in Boarding

Blue Cards required for all volunteers - including parents

TGS Child Protection Responsibilities

Boyce House

Boyce House

Corfe House

Corfe Courier - Term 2 Week 3

Groom House

Groom Gazette - Term 2, Week 3 - Groom Head of House

Mackintosh House

Mackintosh House

Stephens House

From the Head of Stephens House

Taylor House

From the Head of House - Taylor Boarding

From the Assistant Head of House - Taylor Boarding

Taylor House - Up Coming Events

Boarding News

Boyce House

Corfe House

Groom House

Mackintosh House

Stephens House

Taylor House

Boarding News

Boyce House

Corfe House

Groom House

Mackintosh House

Stephens House

Taylor House